Lee Greif – Chief Of Staff
Lee Greif has had a wide variety of jobs and careers in his lifetime, but the five years he spent in politics are definitely among his favorite. The early 1970s were turbulent times, but it was a great time to be associated with politics, and Greif is grateful that he had the opportunity to be an active participant. In 1971, during Peter Peyser’s inaugural term as a New York congressman, Peyser hired Greif to be his chief of staff. This was one of the best decisions Peyser could have made, because during his tenure as chief of staff, Greif led two campaigns that led to successful reelection bids.
Peter Peyser was an interesting and successful politician in his own right. Peyser was the republican congressman who represented the suburban Westchester County. Peyser was a close political associate of Nelson Rockefeller and the two were actually good friends. Many were the times that the two would develop policies together. Peyser’s connections with Rockefeller would give Grief the chance to work on many special and prestigious projects. He drew much attention from his superiors due to the excellent job he performed on them. The assignments may have been difficult, but it was nothing that Grief wasn’t able to accomplish.
There were a lot of opportunities for Greif to be involved in a hands-on way while he was chief of staff in the early 1970s. Along with three congressional chiefs of staff, he was on the scene for one of Nixon’s dinner parties at the White House, and he got experience briefing many high-ranking officials, including state and defense department secretaries. But working for a Democrat during two periods of crisis — Watergate and the Vietnam war — Greif wasn’t always well liked by everyone, and sometimes he had to tout controversial ideas and policies. He remembers at least twice having to stand up for administration proposals that didn’t have a lot of public support.
It was through his job at the White House that Lee Greif was first introduced to his first wife, Randee. At the time, the early 1970s, he was chief of staff for Peter Peyser and she was chief of staff for Missouri senator Thomas Eagleton. The couple actually became quite close to the senator, spent a lot of time with him and spoke of him fondly. This relationship turned out to be quite beneficial to Greif. Eagleton was known for his dedication to the community and his constituents, and his reputation was such that he was later named to McGovern’s presidential ticket. Greif looked up to him, and he would look back on his 5 years as Peyser’s chief of staff as some of the most formative years of his life.